NEJM -- Maternal and Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Infections

"An estimated 25 to 65% of pregnant women in the United States have genital infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or HSV type 2 (HSV-2).1 Neonatal HSV infection, defined as infection in a newborn within 28 days after birth, is an especially devastating consequence of the epidemic of genital herpes. Untreated neonatal HSV infection is associated with only a 40% survival rate, and even with the early initiation of high-dose intravenous acyclovir therapy, it results in considerable disability among survivors."